Clay tablets that preserve ancient records

More than five thousand years ago, people in cities of southern Mesopotamia began making some of the earliest known written signs on clay. Early tablets mostly recorded administrative matters—grain, livestock, and the distribution of supplies. Later, cuneiform was used for letters, orders, literature, scholarly works, and ritual texts. Fired or dried clay often survived for millennia, allowing us to hear voices from the past, though many tablets concern everyday administration.